Owaisi's AIMIM is making presence felt in Bihar's Kishanganj district

KISHANGANJ: Asauddin Owaisi-headed All India Majlis-e-Iteehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is making its presence felt in Muslim majority district of Kishanganj, which has four assembly seats.

AIMIM has gained popularity in the region after it won the bypolls to the Kishanganj assembly seat in 2019.

After drawing a blank in the assembly election of 2015, the party has been consistently working on building its organization in the district on the West Bengal border.

The entry of AIMIM in Seemanchal region, particularly in districts like Kishanganj and Purnea, is proving to be a cause of trouble for both the ruling NDA and the opposition alliance.

Kishanganj Lok Sabha seat accommodates six assembly seats- Kishanganj, Kochadhaman, Thakurganj, Bahadurganj (Kishanganj district), Amour and Baisi (Purnia).

AIMIM has fielded its candidates on 20 seats, including all the six seats of Kishanganj LS seat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, AIMIM had put up a good show in Kishanganj.

All the four assembly seats of Kishanganj are likely to witness a triangular contest in view of the growing influence of AIMIM in this area.

In the Kishanganj assembly seat, AIMIM’s sitting MLA Qamrul Hoda is locked in a triangular contest. While BJP’s nominee is Sweety Singh, Congress has fielded a new face Izhar Hasan from this seat.

Although Kishanganj was considered to be a traditional seat of the Congress party, AIMIM’s Hoda defeated the then BJP nominee Sweety Singh by a margin of over 10,000 votes. Congress could get the third position by bagging about 25000 votes.

“AMIM has successfully attracted voters in rural areas, particularly youths, in Kishanganj district. Youths of this district, who work in different cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, support the AIMIM,” said Mohammed Aftab Aalam, who runs his shop Hashim stores in Majar Chowk area of Kishanganj town.

Division among Muslim voters

Another voter Shahabuddin, who runs his tailoring shop in Kishanganj, said it is painful for us to see CM Nitish’s return to BJP camp. “We voted for the grand alliance in the 2015 assembly polls. This time there would be division among Muslim voters and it is a cause for concern for us,” he said.

Kochadhaman is another important seat for AIMIM in Kishanganj district in view of the high Muslim population. JDU nominee Master Mujaheed Aalam is seeking a second consecutive term from the Kochadhaman seat. He was first elected to the state assembly from this seat in 2014 bypolls.

In 2015 assembly polls, AIMIM had bagged more than 37000 votes in this seat and secured second position. AIMIM has fielded Haji Izhar Ashfi while RJD’s nominee is Shahid Alam.

The victory of JDU from this Kochadhaman seat always suits political interest of Nitish Kumar to prove his popularity among Muslim voters despite his alliance with the BJP.

Thakruganj is also likely to witness a triangular contest between AIMIM, RJD and an independent candidate Gopal Agrawal who has influence over Surajapuri Muslims. NDA’s ally VIP (Vikassheel Insan Party) has fielded Lakhan Pandit.

The face of AIMIM in Seemanchal, Akhatarul Iman, who is former MLA and his party’s Bihar president, is contesting from Amour seat. AIMIM had contested Lok Sabha polls in 2019 and its performance was good in Amour seat. While JDU’s nominee Saba Zafar, Congress candidate Abdul Jalil Mastan is seeking a second consecutive term from this seat. Imam is locked in a triangular contest here.

AIMIM is a part of Grand Secular Democratic Front which also accommodates Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Samajwwadi Janata Dal Secula